The various embodiments and aspects described herein relate to a machine for wrapping and sealing a product within a thermoplastic film.
A prior art film sealing device is used to wrap a product within a thermoplastic sheet, join the edges of the thermoplastic sheet as well as the leading and trailing sides to fully enclose the product in a bag. The product and the thermoplastic sheet may be passed through a heating oven in order to shrink the thermoplastic sheet to a tight fit around the product. Alternatively, it is also contemplated that product be placed in the fully enclosed bag formed by the sheet without heat shrinking. In sealing the longitudinal edge of the thermoplastic sheet, a significant amount of film is wasted since a significant portion of the longitudinal edge must be sealed due to manufacturing limitations that produce a significant amount of wasted thermoplastic sheet. The leading and trailing edges are efficiently sealed with a bar that crimps the thermoplastic sheet up the ends of the leading and trailing edges.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an improved method and machine for reducing the amount of waste produced when shrink-wrapping the product or just bagging the product with a plastic sheet.